Chapter Seven

Ruben followed Dallas into the office and closed the door behind him. "You don't think they…you know…did something, do you?"

Dallas was about to deny it, but the truth was, he didn't know. As he sat behind the desk again, he sighed, "No, Ruben. I mean, no, for sure. No."

He laughed as he sat across from Dallas. "So, you don't know either."

With a reluctant smile, he said, "I don't know a damn thing, Ruben."

After losing his smile, Ruben stared down at his lap. "Listen…I'm sorry I haven't been…that I've been…"

"Ruben, things are going to be really confusing around here. We're not on a regular ranch anymore."

Ruben slowly moved his eyes up until they met Dallas's, and Dallas saw his lips part for a moment before he closed them again. It was as if he wanted to say more but couldn't find the words.

Dallas had some. About a million. All of them were confessions of the attraction he'd had for Ruben practically from the second he saw the guy.

"I know. That's why I thought…"

A scream was on his lips to tell Ruben to leave him alone, that he wasn't up to a new job and a boyfriend in the span of a week, but he couldn't yell at him. Feeling like shit enough that he'd sent him on an assignment and upset him, he didn't know what to say.

The only thing that he could be sure about was that he couldn't discourage the guy. Something inside him wanted Ruben. Then he thought of Marius.

"I know what you thought. I've thought it too, but Ruben, I just started this job and I'm your boss. Let me get the hang of all that and…man, you work for me. Isn't it illegal or something to date your boss nowadays?"

Ruben snorted a laugh. "No. It's not. And it would be different if you were using your position to pressure me into sex."

He actually felt his brows raise on his forehead and Dallas didn't believe he'd ever felt his own brows move at all. "Ruben, can you give me a little time?"

"I've given you almost a year, so I guess I can wait a while longer," he said happily before he jumped up and left the office. Dallas sat back in his chair, sighing, but he did notice his brows dropped again and he even felt a vague smile that spread on his lips.

His phone rang and he fished it from his back pocket to see it was Jace. "What now?"

After he answered, Jace started, "Meeting tonight at the bunkhouse again. No barbeque this time, unfortunately. And those new hands are gonna need bedding and shit. You are set for those?"

"Yeah, yeah, there's a stack of fresh linens in the bunkhouse. We have to make Avery change his once a week, you know, after his one shower."

"Yeah, the guy smells, man!"

They had a laugh, then Dallas grew serious. "Jace, what's the meeting about?"

"The lady missing, of course. Dallas, don't worry over it too much. That's why we're here, with the owners. They can handle this kind of thing. From what I've seen and heard, they are really good people that just happen to run in circles that guys like us might not understand."

"Or we understand too well. If this is some," he started, then lowered his voice and continued, "mafia thing and we're just here for…target practice, I'm out."

"I wouldn't worry, Dallas. Seriously, they've only shown me good things. Maybe get to know Dante and Blaine a little. I've just met Blaine, but he's a really good person. Dante, well, he's scary, I'll admit. He's got a lot of power behind him, but he wants to be better, normal. He wants to be that for his guy. I can understand that. Having someone changes you in ways you didn't see coming."

"Like…how?"

"I thought my life was great, and it was. I had finally found a job I loved with a boss that was great, beautiful area, but I ignored the hole in my chest. The first time I felt it filling was meeting my two guys and knowing that they could be mine if I let it happen."

"Not everyone needs a partner to be fulfilled," he said a little too defensively.

"Oh, I know that. I thought I was one of them. When you meet the right person or persons you'll know. If you never do and you're content without someone, that's great too. I just know how you look when you're around Ruben, and yes, even Dimples. He gets under your craw and that excites you."

Dallas wanted to argue, but his arguments fell flat before they could leave his mouth. Dimples did excite him and Ruben, well, since the first, Dallas chest warmed at the sight of him. "I hear you, Jace. But I'm Ruben's boss. How do I reconcile that? If we didn't work, and he quit because of me or something, Bonita, for one, would literally kill me. And…I'd hate that."

"It's a concern. I get it. Go slow. Think things over before you jump in, but don't overthink. That is our problem, guys like us. We overthink too much about things."

"Don't know if I've ever been accused of that. I'm a cowpoke, excuse the term, what with the club being called that. You know what I mean."

"Cowboy doesn't mean dumb. Remember that. You got this job because you're smart and the best man for that job. Nothing more. That means you're smarter than you think and like I told you, the men staying and those leaving that I spoke to, they said your name. Yours."

Dallas nodded and felt good after hearing that again. "I know some of them boys weren't my friends either. That says a lot, I guess."

Dallas left the office, suddenly feeling boxed in. The air was cool and fresh, and he filled his lungs with it. The sky was so cloudless, it seemed impossible. Like it was bragging about how blue it was and refused to let clouds shutter that. Like always, that big blue sky made him feel safe, like it was covering him, securing him.

"It says it all to me. I didn't go through papers to find the guy that could run this place. I like hearing from the people who worked with them. That tells me what I need to know. Who will they respect and listen to? Who will get the best work from them? You."

"And who will likely fall on their face a dozen times?"

"And get back up again and try harder that thirteenth time. Fuck yes."

Dallas stopped on a clump of dirt that he kicked at with the toe of his boot as he admitted, "You're a damn good guy, Jace. Thanks for…everything."

"Dallas, I have a feeling we're going to be great friends. I already count on you a lot, and I know that's a weight to carry, but you have done it without breaking a sweat so far. I like you too, by the way, which is why I'm acting like some Yenta and matchmaking."

"You really are, you know?"

"Say, I'll be by in a few. We've still got paperwork to handle, and I wanted to ask you about the guest ranch. Roland's getting some things drawn up for it, but I haven't worked cattle in a while. I'd like your input."

"No problem. I'm here."

That afternoon they interviewed more hands, and they filled their needs by the time the sun fell behind the mountains. Dallas was exhausted from asking questions and talking to everyone, but the satisfaction of it overcame that enough to head into the bunkhouse, intent on eating as much food as his stomach could hold.

He got a great surprise when he walked in to smell enchiladas that only Vic could make. He moved into the kitchen to see her cooking away, and all the hands, old and new, clamoring around her, impatiently waiting to eat.

Vic was Victoria Meyers, the bunkhouse den mother. She had been there for years, cooking and cleaning up after the hands, and had been more than happy to stay, especially since her pay increased by quite a bit.

"Where ya been, Vic? We sure missed you around here. None of these pricks can cook," Bonita was saying to her as she absently munched on a tortilla chip.

"Oh, hell, honey, I had family bullshit to deal with. My sister needed an operation, her no-account kids weren't around to help. Shit, one's in the damn joint for cooking meth, for fuck's sake."

"No way?"

"Way. He's about as worthless as tits on a boar hog and twice as ugly," she said with a cackle.

Dallas slid beside her to kiss her cheek. "Welcome home, Mom."

"Stop calling me mom! I ain't your mama, and I ain't your?"

The chorus of those hands that had known her all sang, "Maid nor your goddamn therapist!"

As the laughter died down, Vic turned around with her fist on her slim hip as she stared at all of them. "Bunch of bastards."

"We missed you too," Dallas said and then nodded to the stove. "Are those…ready?"

"They'll be ready—"

"When I goddamn say it's ready," they all chorused again.

They ate like they'd been starving. All the steaks on the grill in the world couldn't compare to her food. She was skilled in Mexican, Italian, American, Chinese, and Korean food, much of which most of the good ol' boys and girls never tasted before working at the ranch.

She made egg rolls that could melt their eyeballs in their heads and her lasagna took all day to create but even she said every second was worth it.

As he ate, Dallas kept glancing at Ruben. The thoughts came in waves and most of them were words of Jace coming back to haunt him.

His smile was over the top cute, sincere, wide, and showed all his perfect teeth. They stood out from the darkness of his full lips like the perfect, kissable frame on a masterpiece.

Waxing poetic about the man, it wasn't like him, but Dallas had always had a crush on Ruben. From the first time he'd seen him, he noticed how beautiful the guy was, but after, it became more. His personality, kind of shy, but hiding behind a confidence in the things he did on the ranch. He was sweet, yes, just like Damon and Burke had observed, and they'd know what they were talking about. Joel was the sweetest man he'd ever met.

Perhaps that, above all else, was what made him hesitant. If it didn't work, Ruben could definitely break his heart, but worse was the fact that if he broke Ruben's heart, it would hurt him as much or more.

The meeting that night involved all the hands. Jace spoke first, as Dante and his bodyguard sat at one of the tables.

"We need everyone going out into the ranch for their dailies to keep an eye out. Maybe it's just a coincidence that Josiah Harrison and the lady from the diner are both missing. Maybe they ran off together. Surely, he knew her if she worked at the diner over twenty years. Regardless, we're being observed by the cops, and I frankly can't blame them."

Dante stood and began, "Though, it wasn't us, I assure all of you. Why would we hurt the person that sold this place to us? I'm sure their thoughts are thinking we threatened him to sell. Those that knew him, though, you've told me that he didn't want to stay here the rest of his days if his sons weren't taking over. He wanted to have some fun before he died. It's the same thing he said in the many meetings we had with him when we were negotiating."

"Exactly," Jace agreed. "I met him the day the paperwork was finalized, and he was overjoyed and making plans. The Carrillos hurting him or him being depressed over the sale are both wrong. That leaves more questions than answers, however. If he did miss the place, maybe he rode, drove, or walked back here and had an accident, that is plausible. So, besides your regular duties, I'm asking Dallas to assign your free time to search. The sheriff called Dante and asked if we'd allow others to come and search, and he agreed without hesitation."

"I did, because despite the fact the man was a mean old bastard, I liked him. He was set in his ways, and he was determined. That is a man I can respect."

There were nods all around, and Jace specifically nodded at Dallas. They'd spoken just before the meeting, and he wanted him to speak to the others as well. As Dallas rose, the room quieted, which surprised him. It meant, to him, he had their ear, and that was the first hurdle to gaining the trust of the men who worked for you.

"I'm going to make sure the dailies get done, but we need at least a few of you dedicated to doing the search. I'll take volunteers, but three need to go, so if we only get two, well, someone's getting pulled for that duty."

When they watched every hand in the place raise, Dallas smiled and Jace actually laughed. "Good job, everyone. I'll let Dallas decide, as he's the boss for you all. Thanks for listening, and volunteering."

The next morning, they all happily ate bacon and pancakes before Dallas stood in front of everyone to give out the daily assignments. Ruben, Bonita, and he were going to do the search, he'd decided. Not that he chose Ruben because he was crushing on the guy, but because he and Bonita had a weird sense of things. They often found predators and their prey long before others would have. Bonita hated it when people kidded them about it being in their genes. Just because they were half indigenous, that didn't mean she was a mystical tracker, she'd tell them, but however it happened, they were the best.

Dallas had them meet him at the stables and was pleasantly surprised that Ruben had saddled a horse for him. His favorite horse, to boot. His name was Gentleman Jack, a stud horse on the place that was much too calm to still have his balls.

Ruben led him over and handed Dallas the reins. "He's ready to go and your bags have food, and your canteen is filled."

The way his eyes looked, heavily lidded so he didn't have to look directly at Dallas, but through his thick black lashes, it was so sexy, Dallas suddenly wished the guy's sister wasn't tagging along. "Thank you, Ruben."

"You're so welcome, Dallas."

Bonita, of course, broke the tension. "You two gonna fuck first? I'll go grab a coffee and get out of your way."

"Bonita, damn," Ruben yelled, then ducked his head and turned away, embarrassed.

To help him, Dallas joked with Bonita, "Maybe I'll send you in the wrong direction and take him on the trail. No use burning daylight."

Ruben's head spun around so he could gawk at Dallas as Bonita giggled. His shock was adorable, but when the little smile on Ruben's full lips appeared, it made Dallas's heart skip a beat.

They rode out together slowly moving to the east. He figured the town was west of the ranch, so if the sheriff sent out a search group, they'd start there. The eastern part of the ranch was beautiful, like the rest. There was a lake, one of three total on the forty-one thousand acres. Near the eastern border, there were fields of sunflowers and boulders that shone brightly pink in the sun. A cave was around one of the hills that were some three hundred feet tall, tucked into one of them hidden beautifully by a stand of the most amazing Amur maple trees he'd ever seen.

That's how he'd found it. His grandfather had been a hobby carpenter and knew all the trees and what kind of wood they'd give. He'd taught Dallas all about them, so when he'd seen them, he was drawn to the area and found the cave.

The thoughts that ran through his head were of taking Ruben into that cave and holding him down to the soft silt ground while he tasted every inch of that beautiful caramel skin. The thought of it had his mouth watering.

"You really think that woman is here?" Bonita asked without her usual sarcasm.

"No, but we said we'd look. Jace called me this morning and the family lawyer is coming sooner than expected too. I don't know where they're gonna put everyone. The trailers for the construction crews aren't big enough for all these people coming before everything is even built."

"One of those mob lawyers, like that white dude in the Godfather? Wow. That's heavy."

Ruben asked, "Maybe they'll find her, alive, I mean. I remember her, ya know? She was really nice."

"I remember her too. She loved my long hair. She told me once, when I went to eat there, that she'd never been able to grow hair past her shoulders. Said it was genetic, so she'd stare at my hair like she was hungry for it. I told her to get a wig."

"That was mean," Ruben accused his sister.

"Not like that," she said as she guided her chestnut mare around a rock chuck hole. A rock chuck was a marmot, one of the rodents in Montana that only gave trouble to ranchers and gardeners. "I told her she could change herself anytime she liked that way. Color, length, and she slapped that receipt book in her hand and said she was going to try one."

The trail was well worn, as the cows grazed in the southeast corner of the property every other season. They hadn't been close to it for the year, but the hands were still expected to check fences and the lakes.

As they passed the hill where the maple trees grew, the breeze blowing through them so they seemed to be waving, Ruben, naked on the floor of the cave, went through his mind. He couldn't look his way without picturing it, and that made him even more crazy.

"What's that?" Bonita said, thankfully pulling him from his thoughts.

"What?" he asked, looking around to see what she could possibly mean. Then he saw it. Three turkey vultures, circling in the sky a couple miles from them. "Shit."

"Probably a deer or even a skunk. Don't jump to conclusions," Ruben said, but his voice, his tone seemed to say that it wasn't an animal.

They started their horses running, and got in a line, Dallas first, as he led through the twisting trail around ponderosa pine trees, heavy boulders, and brush until they were nearly to where the vultures flew overhead.

The smell got them before they arrived, and they all stopped on the trail, Bonita and Ruben pulling up on either side of him and Gentleman Jack. "That ain't elk or deer," Bonita whispered.

"Ain't a skunk," Ruben chimed in.

"That's human. I'll lay bets on it," he agreed.

They rode like their horses were tied together in one solid line. Dallas took out the bandana he usually tied around his neck when it got hot and covered his nose with it as the smell got stronger.

When they rounded the pine trees they saw the body. It lay on top of a boulder, arms and legs splayed out in all directions, dress hiked up to her upper thighs, but none of that was the bad part of it.

The birds had already gotten to her, and her face was…gone. Ruben jumped off his white quarter horse and ran off into the trees to start puking. Bonita dismounted her horse, taking a few steps toward the body, her own bandana over her nose and mouth.

Dallas found he couldn't move. Even his eyes didn't move, and the sight was horrific.

The boulder was streaked with lines of blood and the rest of her body, covered in her waitress uniform, a faded pink thing with a formerly white apron, showed lines of blood.

Bonita got closer and called back to him, "Dallas, come look."

He didn't want to, but not because he was scared. He was terrified, but he used to read true crime books when he was a kid. Those were the only books his mother ever read, so if he was bored, he read them too.

"Get back here, Bon. The crime scene must be preserved." He got off his horse finally and went to her to see where she was pointing. What he saw was a large bloody knife, a kitchen knife. "That's what killed her, I'm guessing."

"I guess. Damn, that's harsh."

Dallas nodded and walked a few steps back on the trail.

She went back to her horse, calling for her brother. "Ruben! Are you okay?"

Ruben came out of the trees pale as a ghost. "So much for being a tough guy."

"Shut up, Ruben. Anyone would puke over seeing that shit," his sister said, defending him even from himself.

"Yeah, Ruben. I want to puke too. But we need to call…someone," Dallas said as he took out his phone, staring at the black screen, wishing the answer would materialize there.

It didn't.

"Better call the Carrillos first, Jace Conroy, the guys. What if they don't want the cops out here?"

"What would we do with her then?" Ruben squeaked.

"Don't they have those…what are they called? Cleaners!"

Dallas rolled his eyes. "They won't do that. I don't think, anyway. Besides, if they did, the cops would never leave us alone."

"You're not serious, right? Two people go missing, and the woman just so happens to end up here? You are kidding, right?"

"Shit. Yeah," he said as he continued to stare at his phone. He hated that there was a signal to make the call, so he called Jace and as soon as the man answered, Dallas said, "Well, call the troops. We found her."